First, let me just say that I actually intended to have this up over a week ago. It's been sitting in my documents edited and ready for a while, I just completely forgot that I hadn't uploaded it. On top of that, for over a week now, it just wouldn't let me upload anything on the site -.- Sorry for that XD Enjoy

Thank you to AbaraiSuki as always for putting up with my annoying and constant barrage of questions XD

I've already done the disclaimer twice so I think you get the picture.

Chapter 3:

As Naruto made his way up the steps of the Hokage tower, he felt like he was dead. He had just come back from his lunch with Sakura at Ichirakus. And it had been horrible.

It wasn't that she had done anything to upset him. Actually, it had been quite the opposite. They had talked a lot, sharing quite a few laughs, with neither of them talking about their love lives. He had gotten his favourite miso pork ramen and she had gotten the same, just in a smaller portion.

The part about the whole thing that had been horrible was how conscious Naruto now was of her. More than a few times he caught himself staring at her lips as she ate her ramen. At least twice Sakura had to get his attention after he became lost in those beautiful emeralds of hers. The worst part had been when he had caught a small flash of the skin of her neck, revealing more of her silky white skin. Naruto had found that he just couldn't keep her out of his mind anymore. It had killed him just to sit there that entire time wanting her but knowing that she was in love with someone else.

Naruto was so caught up reliving his horrible experience that he barely even noticed Shikamaru standing in his office. When he finally noticed, he looked up at the lazy genius and blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly.

"Shikamaru? What can I do for you?"

Shikamaru quizzically raised an eyebrow, taking in the very dishevelled appearance of the young hokage.

"You look like shit," he said plainly. Shikamaru had rarely ever seen Naruto in such rough condition. In fact, the only times he had ever seen the young Hokage this frazzled was when it concerned the members of the original Team 7. Naruto's normally sharp blue cerulean eyes were dull, and he was unfocused. His eyes had large bags under them, evidence of a lack of sleep. Even his blonde hair, which was usually so vibrant and bright, seemed to be a little duller this morning.

Naruto chuckled a little. "Yeah, it's been an interesting morning."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Did anything happen at the party yesterday?"

Naruto tilted his head slightly, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "No. Why would anything have happened?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, I saw you drinking quite a few drinks. I would have tried to stop you, but that would have been too troublesome. And Sakura went over to take care of you, so it was okay"

Naruto flinched slightly at the mention of Sakura's name. He quickly tried to play it off, but Shikamaru had noticed. "I hear Sakura is into someone these days," he said, trying to draw more of a reaction from him.

Naruto picked up the report he had left on his desk earlier and scanned it. "Yes, I've heard. How did you find out?"

"Hey, when your best friend is married to Ino Yamanaka, you hear things"

Naruto laughed at that. He wasn't sure how Chouji could put up with Ino, honestly. He had been married to her for a few years now, but it still amazed Naruto that Chouji barely even noticed his wife's eccentric behaviour. However he did it though, he seemed happy. And if he was happy, Naruto was happy.

"I see. Well whoever it is, they are lucky that they could have someone so amazing interested in them"

Shikamaru looked down at him with an expression of disbelief. "You don't want to know who it is?"

Naruto's eyes stopped scanning the page in his hand for one brief second, betraying his indifferent expression. "No. I will support her as her best friend. That's it"

Shikamaru just looked even more disbelieving now. "Naruto, I know you can't be over her. Why don't you talk to her about it? I mean, you were crazy about her for years"

Naruto sighed before he put the paper down on his desk gently and turned slowly to Shikamaru. He eyed him with a very calm expression. It unnerved Shikamaru how calm Naruto was being about the whole thing. This wasn't how he would've reacted years ago. "It doesn't matter how I feel. She would never love me. I've realized that. So now, all I can do is support her in whatever relationship she has from now on."

Shikamaru found himself rubbing his temple in annoyance. Naruto was just too stubborn sometimes. He could see that getting Naruto to admit anything to him would take a lot of work. And that was just too troublesome for him. He turned away before saying "Whatever. Troublesome idiot"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You think everything is troublesome. I don't even know how your wife puts up with you. I can't even believe that she left Suna for you" he said. Of course, he was referring to Temari, Shikamaru's wife of 3 years. The former Suna-nin was now a full-fledged Konoha shinobi.

Shikamaru eyed him for a moment before smirking. "She's incredible, I'll admit that much"

The two of them shared a laugh for a moment, all of the tension gone from the room. After a few moments Naruto, still smiling slightly, looked up at Shikamaru. "So, was there a reason for you coming to my office today? Or did you just want to give me a hard time?"

Shikamaru blinked at him a few times, his original task obviously forgotten. After a short silence, he seemed to remember what he had come here to do, and pulled a scroll out of his vest's pocket. It was a small green scroll, with many complicated seals on it and red string keeping it tied up.

Naruto quickly undid the seals and began to read. As Naruto looked through the reports, Shikamaru began to explain. "We've been receiving odd reports of movement from Kirigakure and Iwagakure. They have been moving quite a few shinobi close to our border as well as to the border of Kumo. I think they may be preparing for war"

Naruto looked up from the scroll, which gave small details about the troop movements Shikamaru had just mentioned. "War? Dammit, I thought that after the 4th Shinobi War we had grown closer"

"…I have reason to think…that they may be after the Kyubi and the Hachibi"

Naruto's eyes widened and he sank back into his chair, trying to take in this piece of information. When Madara had used the Biju in the last war, he had been stopped by the combined forces of all five villages. Madara had been destroyed, for good this time. However, the Biju he had used to attack the Shinobi alliance had also been destroyed, leaving only the Hachibi and the Kyubi as the last remaining Biju. This had made things tense between Iwa, Kiri, Kumo, and Konoha, but the bonds that had been made throughout the war allowed the villages to settle into an uneasy peace. However, it seemed that this peace would finally come to an end.

Naruto sank back into his seat and rubbed one of his eyes tiredly. With his one free eye, he looked up at Shikamaru, who now wore a grim expression. "You're sure of this?"

Shikamaru thought it over for a second, looking through every possible scenario. After thinking about it, he looked down at Naruto and met his gaze. "I'm about 80% sure. I would need more information if I wanted to be certain"

Naruto nodded and quickly called in his assistant. The assistant, a woman in her 20s with brown hair and blue eyes, appeared and asked what she could do. "Midori, please find the ANBU commander and bring him here"

The young woman nodded before quickly disappearing. While they waited for the ANBU commander to arrive, Naruto groaned while running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "I can't believe this could be happening." Shikamaru just nodded, his silence speaking volumes about the seriousness of the situation.

"I mean, you would think that after all that our villages have been through, we could settle this kind of thing peacefully" Naruto continued, his hand still running through his hair. He suddenly began to feel sympathetic towards Tsunade. He wondered how she had first felt when she had awoken from her coma, and the first thing that she had been told was that they were now at war with Madara Uchiha.

"I think it's the new Tsuchikage," Shikamaru said, "He seems hell-bent on starting something with us. Ever since that old man retired, he's been picking a fight with us whenever he got the chance"

Naruto nodded before the both of them fell into an uneasy silence.

The silence in the room was deafening, neither Shikamaru nor Naruto really knowing what to say. Both shinobi knew the death that would come with war, and both were hoping from the bottom of their hearts that this would all be a misunderstanding. The silence was only broken when a small 'poof' and a burst of smoke announced the arrival of the ANBU commander. "Hokage-sama?"

Naruto glanced up at the man and gave him a small smirk. "You know I don't like to be called that, Sai"

Even with the mask on, Naruto could still tell that Sai was giving him his usual fake smile. Sai had spent the years since Danzo's death climbing the ranks of ANBU. Between Naruto as Hokage, Sai as the ANBU commander, and Sakura as the head of the hospital, the new Team Kakashi had managed to make Konoha the top shinobi village, outranking even Kumogakure. "Okay then, Naruto, what do you need me for?"

Naruto's grin faded and was replaced by a very grim expression. "I need you and Shikamaru to investigate something," he said while handing Sai the small green scroll from before. Sai's eyes scanned it before widening very slightly. His eyes then glanced back and forth between Naruto and Shikamaru. "Is this accurate?"

Shikamaru sighed and nodded. Sai nodded back and then turned back to Naruto. "I am ready to leave at any time."

Naruto nodded and glanced towards Shikamaru. "Let me just tell Temari. Damn, she's going to be pissed."

The two shinobi then disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Naruto alone in his office. Naruto groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Today was really not turning out to be a good day for him. "Things just keep getting worse and worse," he said to no one in particular. With a final groan, Naruto returned to his paperwork, attempting to forget the events from that morning.